Turbulator



y 1941- H. R. MICKA 2,240,893

TURBULATOR Filed Feb. 19, 1940 myw% ATTORNEYS Patented May 6, 1941UNITED STATES PATENT oEElcE 2,240,893 TURBULATOR Henry R. Micka, oshkoshwis.

Application February 19, 1940, Serial No. 319,788

3 Claims. (Cl. 48-180) This invention relates to improvements in fluidturbulators and especiallyis concerned with a novel turbulator useful inconjunction with an internal combustion engine for increasing the degreeof homogeneity of the combustion mixture delivered through thecarburetor to the manifold.

In many types of internal combustible engines now commonly in use theefiiciency of operation is diminished by reason of nonhomogeneity of thecombustible mixture delivered from the carburetor to the manifoldwhereby particles or droplets of fuel are physically carried in the airstream into the carburetor with theresult that accumulations of fuel inthe carburetor impair proper control by the operator of thericbness ofthe fuel mixture delivered to the engine.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a turbulator suitedto mounting within the intake manifold of an internal combustion enginecarburetor whereby homogeneity of fuel-air mixture delivered to thecarburetor is promoted by reason of agitation of the mixture during itspassage through the manifold.

One of the disadvantages of existing types of turbulators when used forthe purpose mentioned above is that each frequently represents acompromise in the sense that a different degree of turbulation is suitedto high pressure intake systems as contrasted to the degree ofturbulation preferable for low pressure systems. It therefore is anobject of the present invention to provide a novel turbulatorcharacterized in that elements of the turbulator active in promotinghomogeneity of fluid passed thereby are adjusted in a manner havingrelationship to the rate of flow of the fluid, thereby assuring suitableturbulation for both high and low pressure delivery of fuel-air mixtureto the carburetor.

An important advantage of the novel turbulator device according to thisinvention is that it is suited to attachment to substantially any typeof internal combustion engine now in use without requiring the extensivereplacement of parts or special machining of parts of the engine.

Among the noteworthy features of the novel fluid turbulator according tothis invention are its simplicity and ruggedness of construction, theformer well suiting the device to manufacture under conditions of massproduction and the latter assuring long useful life without occasion forrepair or replacement.

Other objects, advantages and features of the new and improvedturbulator according to the present invention will be apparent to thoseskilled in this art during the course of the following description.

Regarded in certain of its broader aspects, the novel fluid turbulatoraccording to this invention comprises means comprising a bridge-piecefor mounting the device within the intake manifold of a carburetor; ashaft mounted on said bridgepiece; a first and a second spider eachfreely rotatably mounted on the shaft; reeds pivotally mounted on saidspiders having portions sensitive to centrifugal action whereby thereeds move outwardly depending upon the rate of rotation of the spiders,and spring tensioning means for holding the reeds normally near theshaft.

In order to'facilitate a fuller and more complete understanding of thepresent invention a specific embodiment thereof herein illustrated willbe hereinafter described, it being clearly understood, however, that theillustrated embodiment, although presently preferred, is provided solelyby way of example of the practice of this invention and not by way oflimitation thereof except insofar as the invention is recited in thesubjoined claims.

Referring then to the drawing,

Figure 1 is substantially a side elevational view of the presentlypreferred embodiment of this invention showing the same mounted inposition of use within a section of carburetor and intake manifold,

Fig. 2 is essentially a transverse sectional view of Fig. 1 taken alongthe plane indicated by the line 2-2, and

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the reeds showing the sameattached to the upper spider.

Referringnow particularly to Fig. 1 it will be noted that the novelfluid turbulator according to the present invention generally designatedby the reference character It comprises a washer l I mounted between theflanges a and b of the intake manifoldA and the carburetor B. The washerincludes formed integrally therewith a bridge-piece Ila which isdistorted slightly by bending below the plane of the washer to presentessentially the configuration illustrated in Fig. 1.

An opening is formed in the approximate center of the washerbridge-piece Ila to receive the threaded end portion In of the shaft l2which is rigidly mounted therein by means of nuts I2b whereby the shaftextends axially downwardly from the carburetor into the intake manifold.Near the bottom end of the shaft 12 an integrally formed shoulder I20 isprovided against which rests a first or lower spider [3 held in positionupon the shaft end by means including a bolt H01 in a manner such thatfree rotation of the spider is permitted although axial motion along theshaft is precluded. A tensioning spring l4 sleeved upon the shaft l3 andconnected at one end to the shoulder l2c is attached to a sliding collarI5 positioned upon the shaft l2 between the place of attachment of theshaft to the bridge-piece Ha and the shoulder essentially as shown. Thecollar I5, is peripherally grooved to receive portions of a second orupper spider l6 freely rotatingly mounted thereon and spaced withrespect to the first spider substantially as shown in Fig. 1. In distalparts of the upper spider l6 are pivotallymounted downwardly freelydependent longitudinally twisted reeds l1 coupled at their extremebottom ends to the lower spider l3 by means of connector links [8 eachpivotally attached both to the lower spider and to the correspondingreed. As will be evident from the foregoing description, the assembly ofreeds and spiders is freely rotatable about the axis of the shaft l2 andthe spiders are urged toward each other by the spring tensioning meansI4 whereby the lower portions of the reeds I! are drawn by the connectorlinks I3 toward the axis of rotation.

In the use of the device gaseous mixtures of fuel and air are passedthrough the carburetor to the intake manifold A and, in passing to theintake manifold, the gaseous mixture acts upon the freely rotatableassembly of reeds and spiders causing the same to spin about the axis ofthe shaft I2. It will be obvious that the rate of rotation of theassembly will be proportional to the rate of travel of the gaseousmixture from the intake manifold and it also will be apparent, it isthought, that the rotation of the assembly will at least tend to promotehomogeneity of the gaseous mixture in that it will introduce into thepath of the gaseous material a moving fanlike structure which will causeturbulation. As the assembly rotates centrifugal force acting upon thelower parts of the reeds I! will tend to move the same radiallyoutwardly from the axis of rotation and in so doing will shift the upperspider 16 mounted on the collar 15 upwardly along the shaft l2 againstthe action of the spring tensioning means M. A balance therefore isattained at all times between the centrifugal force acting to move thereeds outwardly and the spring tensioning force acting to move the ,reedend portions toward the axis of rotation. It follows therefore that thecrosssectional area swept by the moving turbulator will be proportionalto the rate of transfer of gaseous material from the intake manifoldand, accordingly, that the turbulation will be directly proportional tothe pressure of material delivered from the manifold.

It is to be understood that this invention is capable of extendedapplication and is not confined to the precise illustrated forms nordescribed construction and, therefore, such changes and modificationsmay be made therein as do not affect the spirit of the invention norexceed the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the present invention, what it is desired tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A fluid turbulator comprising a bridge-piece adapted to be mountedwithin a manifold; a shaft, rigidly mounted on said bridge-pieceextending vertically downwardly into said manifold; a first spiderfreely rotatably mounted on the bottom end of said shaft; a secondspider freely rotatably mounted upon said shaft above said first spider;downwardly freely dependent longitudinally twisted reedspivotallymounted on distal portions of said second spider, connector linkspivotally attached to bottom portions of saidreeds and to distalportions of said first spider; and means urging said spiders toward eachother whereby the reeds are urged toward the axis of said shaft.

2. A fluid turbulator comprising a washer receivable between the flangesof a carburetor and a manifold, a bridge-piece integrally formed withand extending across said washer; a shaft, rigidly mounted on saidbridge-piece extending axially downwardly from within said carburetorinto said manifold; a first spider freely rotatably mounted on thebottom end of said shaft; a collar slidingly mounted on said shaftbetween the first spider and the bridge-piece; a second spider freelyrotatably mounted on said collar; downwardly freely dependentlongitudinally twisted reeds pivotally mounted on distal portions ofsaid second spider, connector links pivotally attached to bottomportions of said reeds and to distal portions of said first spider; anda tensioning compression spring sleeved on the shaft and connected tothecollar and the shaft for forcing the collar upwardly against thetendency toward movement produced by centrifugal force when the assemblyof reeds and spiders rotates due to passage of fluid from the manifoldto the carburetor.

3. A fluid turbulator, comprising a bridge piece adapted to be mountedbetween a manifold and a carburetor, a shaft rigidly mounted on saidbridgepiece and extending vertically into the manifold, a spider freelyrotatably mounted on the bottom of said shaft and held againstlongitudinal movement, a second spider freely rotatably mounted uponsaid shaft above said first spider and longitudinally movable thereon, acoil spring connected to the spiders for drawing the same together,downwardly freely dependent longitudinally twisted reeds havingbifurcated lower ends, and connector links pivotally mounted in thebifurcated ends of the reeds and pivotally connected to the secondspider.

' HENRY R. MICKA.

